This begs the question: Why? Why lower this particular wall and not the gianormous one in right-center field? What makes this wall such a detriment to the Mets that it will be given its walking papers after one season?

We should all be past the point of believing Citi Field caused the Mets' power outage last season. Though the Mets ranked dead last in home runs hit at home in 2009 with 49, they also brought up the rear by hitting a comparable 46 home runs on the road. Moreover, six ballparks finished with lower home run totals than Citi Field's 130 last season. Though Citi Field played like a pitcher's park as expected, nothing particularly egregious occurred that automatically mandated a change in dimensions.

Because last year doubled as Citi Field's rookie season, one cannot rely on the park factor to look for a gap in home runs either. In fact, Citi Field ranked 12th out of 30 teams in its home run factor in 2009. That being said, Park Factors do not become reliable indicators until 3 seasons or more of data becomes available. You need a large sample size to weed out injury-riddled anomalies like the 2009 Mets or absurd career years from unlikely power sources. Citi Field may have catered a bit more to the home run than we realized in 2009, but we have no data to confirm that yet.

HitTrackerA scatter plot of all home runs hit in Citi Field in 2009.A brief examination of that scatter plot indicates two things about Citi Field's home run prowess to dead center field. First, it's really deep. That explains why so few home runs travel to dead center, which is the case in pretty much every ballpark anywhere. Second, a few balls did clear the center field fence and reached the Apple in center field. So the extra-high wall in Center Field may steal a few home runs, but it's not insurmountable.

HitTrackerA scatter plot of all home runs hit in Fenway Park in 2009.Fenway Park features its distinct triangle area in center field, which is also known throughout the Majors as a Death Valley for long balls. That's a legitimate gap created by the ridiculous length from home plate combined with the unique wall at the end of the Green Monster. Citi Field has no such gap.

So why lower the wall in center field if common sense finds no reason to do so? My guess is that it's aesthetically pleasing. The Mets are adding a Hall of Fame, hanging signs and posters to make the park feel more Mets-centric, and painting the concrete walls to have things feel like home. The Mets took great pride in their unique wall pattern, but the 8-foot stretch in front of the Apple does look unnecessary.

And if the Mets can knock some home runs over the wall as a result, all the better.------